What started as a personal journey of a doctor turned patient morphed into a way to share what’s universal in dealing with cancer, in my case a nasty leukemia (CLL), a failed transplant and a successful clinical trial. The telling of my journey has become a journey to teach about CLL, related blood issues and all cancers. Please visit our new website http://cllsociety.org for the latest news and information. Smart patients get smart care™. If you want to reach me, email bkoffmanMD@gmail.com

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Delayed in Dallas: Lesson for travel and CLL

Sometimes it seems being smart and having connections allows you to see the train wreck coming, but may not let you get off the train.

Still in Dallas trying to fly home from Orlando.

I was notified as we landed of the delay due to change of planes. That pushed back our departure just long enough to catch the start of the weather delay. Now we have been delayed three more times for mechanical issues. 10 or 15 minutes each time. I get test messages every 10 to 15 minutes with the latest update from American Airlines. But we all know that nothing on a plane takes 10 or 15 minutes, but they soften the blow with these mini delays until sometimes it's too late to do anything, to find another way home to the west coast.

I thought about taking a later flight out when I first heard of the trouble, but this flight was scheduled to leave two hours earlier so I gambled it was the better choice.

The joys of flying. I guessed wrong.

Sometimes CLL is like that. You might know that your FISH report is bad news, that the best option for a remission will whack your marrow, that infections are a significant risk, but what can you do?

You do your best is what you do.

Make a wise choice and hope for the good response without too much damage and keep moving forward. Sometimes you realize that maybe you didn't make the best choices, but you must forgive yourself and move on. How could you know, and even if you did know, it might not have made any difference.

The one advice I have for flying or tackling CLL is to keep your options open. Try to avoid the last plane home that night. Look at the departure schedule. Know your Plan B. Have your airline phone number on speed dial. And bring a few extra days of your meds just in case.

What about CLL?

Try not to close doors for future cancer treatments and try to walk through doors that open that might lead to a chance for a long healthy spell between decisions and delays. They may not stay open for long, so the timing of when to start therapy is always tricky. As I have said before, the best time to start therapy is a few weeks before you need to.

I will eventually get home. The mechanic is aboard. Maybe we can leave real soon? We were just ask to fasten seat belts so that's a very good sign.

I am off to Ohio State next week for my clinical trial assessment. No direct flights I am afraid between anywhere in southern California and Columbus. I chose to fly through Phoenix to avoid weather. I am optimistic that route was a wise choice.

But my real optimism is reserved for my banging the door open to Dr. Byrd's trial with PCI-32765 and ofatumumab, That I am betting will turn out to be a sea change of a wise choice.

I am finishing this post 30,000 feet up in the air nearing home, so all is well.

2 Comments:

Judy said...

Oh the joys of traveling.......How I remember those days of contstant travel......250,000 miles a year for 15 years..............now I hate to even get on a plane for this very reason.....Glad you are home safe and sound. Just in time to get back on a plane for Ohio......but this time for very good reasons.

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About Me

BkoffmanMD@gmail.com
A family doc and husband of 1 and father of 4 and grandfather of 3 who loves his family and his work. I live with no TV and no microwave, but wouldn't last a minute without friends, art, music, books and the beach. Hockey, good jokes and exotic travel are pretty important too. Writing, Talmud and Zen give meaning to my life. My diet is organic vegan, often raw. I hope the blog makes the load lighter and the path both safer and more fun for those who read it or are going to similar places. I want to help. I crave your comments. If you are new to the blog, check out the portrait my son Will painted (it is the first post), and my very first text post.